


past lives

by iridilea



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Enemies, Gore, Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Reincarnation AU, Romeo and Juliet References, confidant!soyeon, don't even ask, empress!yuqi, have fun making sense of these tags, i have no idea where im going with this, it's kinda messed up, posh high school, soyeon is rich (as she should be), they keep killing each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:42:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25397845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iridilea/pseuds/iridilea
Summary: "You know what you need to do, don't you?"Bound by a bloodstained curse, immortals Soyeon and Yuqi were destined to be enemies since the beginning of time. No one could hurt them but each other- but the Fates always had their way. Crossing a span of different lifetimes, watch as they are doomed to repeat a vicious cycle.
Relationships: Jeon Soyeon/Song Yuqi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. PROLOGUE.

**Author's Note:**

> cross-posted on my twitter @orbitlands.

“If I’m going down, you’re going down with me!” Soyeon screamed in pain as Yuqi tightened her grip on her silver  _ parazonium. _

“No thanks,” Yuqi smiled sweetly at her, walking towards her friend, “I’d really,  _ really _ like to stay alive right now.”

“Curse you,” Soyeon spat a mouthful of blood at the other girl. She didn’t have much time left, the wound in her stomach bleeding out. Yuqi knew how to strike where it hurt and made sure she suffered for long, just so she could witness her friend’s final moments.  _ Where did it all go wrong? _ Soyeon thought as the girl in front of her grinned widely, her helmet tan lines accentuated by the splashes of blood on her face.

They were best friends, growing up and training together in Crete. The perfect partners, having fought side by side on numerous battlefields, through trials of tears and blood. She could feel the beaming Sun on them, shining with Apollo’s blessing as they ripped through the battlefield, being the deadliest duo that the army had ever known.

Until today. It wasn’t until after they were exposed as spies, and Yuqi used Soyeon’s trust in her to regain the enemy’s trust. Her kiss, followed by excruciating pain in her stomach, that caused her to keel over and onto the bloodstained battlefield. They were the only ones left, and soon, Yuqi would be the last woman standing.

_ Dear Gods, any of you, _ Soyeon thought bitterly as her vision darkened,  _ let me have my revenge on her. Let me plague her nightmares forever. _

All she heard was the cackles of her friend as the warmth left her body. Little did she know, the gods  _ had _ heard her prayers.


	2. FIRST REINCARNATION.

“Princess, though I must insist, this girl seems awfully persistent to be your maid.”

“I do _not_ need a maid,” Yuqi huffed, strutting around her room. “I can take care of myself, thank you _very_ much-” Gesturing wildly in what seemed like a show of independence, she knocked over a vase and sent it crashing to the floor. “Oh, for Heaven’s sakes,” she grumbled, trying to pick the shards up with her bare hands- “Ow!”

“Your Highness, please allow me to help,” a girl’s voice, who couldn’t have been much older than her.

“I told you, I don’t need any help!” Yuqi huffed, trying to nurse her bloody hand.

“You’re bleeding. Allow me to patch you up,” the girl looked at her worriedly, and suddenly, their eyes met.

“You.” All of a sudden, Yuqi’s strange dreams came flooding back to her.

She remembered scenery that you couldn’t find in Rome, and art that she had never seen, but knew in her heart. She remembered fighting with strange blades, similar to those the warriors in the armies used, but somehow totally foreign. She remembered laughing with this girl, standing back to back while enemies surrounded them, trying extra hard to impress her...

“You’re her,” Yuqi broke into a smile, “the one from my dreams.”

“And you’re…” The other girl looked taken aback, no doubt remembering the same things. “You’re a monster,” she said without thinking, fear in her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

The girl took off, bandages still in her hands. Yuqi began to chase her, a billion questions popping up in her mind. “Please, wait!”

The girl stopped in the gardens, huffing as she tried to catch her breath. Yuqi ran up to her, grabbing her hand with her bloody one, “I’m really sorry if I startled you,” she said softly, “please, I mean you no harm.”

The other girl couldn’t look Yuqi in the eyes, as her memories of the dreams came flooding back to her, “I remember…” she choked out, “you killed me. I trusted you, and you _killed_ me!”

“How dare you! Her Highness would never hurt a fly-” one of the gardeners who was eavesdropping stormed over.

“Hold your tongue,” Yuqi cast a death glare at him, and she could see him shrink visibly under her gaze. “I’m sorry you had those terrible dreams,” Yuqi tried to comfort the girl, “it seems we’ve dreamt of each other but in terrifyingly different ways. Please, let me make it up to you. Can I have your name?”

“Sylvia,” a different name, but those eyes were the same ones she knew from long ago. “I’m terribly sorry for the way I acted, Your Highness, I-”

“Spare me the apologies,” Yuqi smiled, “could you please hand me the bandages? My hand-,” she examined her once bleeding hand. The cut from before had closed, only leaving a path of dried blood in its place. _Strange_.

“How…” Soyeon looked at her hand in disbelief.

“I don’t know either- but it seems our meeting was fate,” Yuqi smiled wistfully.

In this life, she was Princess Livia, who resided in Rome. She was right, her meeting with Sylvia- _Soyeon_ , was more than just a coincidence. It was fate- _the_ Fates which brought them together once again. After they met, things became stranger and stranger.

“Your Highness, watch out!” Soyeon moved to jump in front of Yuqi, but it was too late. An arrow whistled through the crowd and lodged itself in Yuqi’s chest, right where her heart should have been. Crying in pain, Yuqi hunched over- but she wasn’t dying.

“Hand me your dagger,” she said through clenched teeth, “I need to cut this thing out.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Soyeon hissed, “you’re hurt!”

“I’ll be fine. My wounds always heal,” Yuqi held out a hand, “trust me.”

Soyeon sighed, “fine.” Handing over her dagger, Yuqi mumbled a “thanks”. And she was right- cutting two slits where the arrow was lodged in her chest, Yuqi pulled it out with a scream. Soyeon watched in awe as her wound closed up almost as quickly as it formed, leaving no evidence that it was ever there- except the patch of red that bloomed against her white dress. Standing up once again, Yuqi watched as a man ran in fear, holding a bow. No one would dare assassinate her again, as long as she had this power.

“I just wanted to say- thank you for being there for me today,” Yuqi smiled at Soyeon, who was more so her friend than a servant. “Come,” she beckoned, “sit with me.”

“I can’t- I’m just your servant-”

Yuqi laughed, pulling Soyeon over from where she stood, “Relax, it’s just us here.” Plopping down on the bed, the two girls sat next to each other. Without thinking, Soyeon rested her head on Yuqi’s shoulder, trying to forget her nightmares, but to no avail. The scenes flashed through her head over and over again, and she broke down crying.

“What’s wrong?” Yuqi asked, concerned.

“I keep seeing you… but you’re so different now,” Soyeon sniffled, burying her face into the crook of Yuqi’s neck, “Right now, you’re so gentle and kind, but I keep seeing you killing me, over and over again!”

“Listen to me.” Yuqi stared straight into Soyeon’s eyes, “I would never, ever do that to you. You’re my friend.”

The tension was unbearable, different scenes flashing through each of their minds. Yuqi could almost feel the other girl’s lips on hers, like in her dreams. They moved in perfect unison, lips locking together in harmony. As they kissed, Soyeon’s memories of her nightmares flashed through Yuqi’s mind, as she saw herself grinning maniacally as her friend was dying in front of her- by her hand. She finally understood why Soyeon was distant to her ever since they met- and to be honest, who wouldn’t be?

“I’m sorry,” Yuqi pulled Soyeon into a hug, “I’m so sorry…” Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, as she remembered in full detail.

“I’m sorry too,” Soyeon mumbled into Yuqi’s nightgown, “I couldn’t remember how close we were. You were right, we _were_ destined to meet-” she was cut short by Yuqi pressing a finger to her lips, shushing her.

“I love you.”

Soon, Soyeon realised that it was never as good as it seemed. Picking up the shards from the vase that Yuqi broke on their first meeting gave Soyeon wounds on her hands that never really healed right, leaving scars that were there forever, though when she accidentally burnt herself against fire, it healed almost instantly, just like Yuqi’s wounds did.

 _The Fates were cruel,_ Soyeon thought. She was soon able to come to the conclusion that she was the only one who was able to hurt the Princess, just as the Princess was the only one who was able to hurt her. She hoped that she would never have to put this knowledge to use, so she never told a soul.

When Yuqi turned twenty, her father, the Emperor died. Being her father’s only child, she was soon to attend her coronation as the next Empress, thrust into the world of politics at a young age.

“I’m scared,” Yuqi confided in her before stepping out to receive her crown, “I don’t want to do this.”

“You’ll do just fine,” Soyeon reassured her, “I’ll be right here for you every step of the way.”

Watching her friend accept the crown was the moment she knew nothing would ever be the same again. Soyeon couldn’t help but worry- Yuqi was kind and loving, but she had a habit of building walls so high up that even she couldn’t get through. This was the girl she loved, about to become someone else entirely.

She was right.

Soyeon watched from a distance as Yuqi became enveloped in her work as the Empress, piles and piles of paperwork on her desk replacing the peculiar gemstones she was once so infatuated with. They never talked anymore, besides the few “Your Majesty, your bath is ready,” or “Your Majesty, please eat something.” Slowly, Soyeon could feel Yuqi start to crack under the pressure, as her long, curled locks became frazzled and unruly. The candles Yuqi lit shone all night, and soon she rarely slept, only doing so when the fatigue got the better of her, Soyeon often finding her unconscious on the floor after a long few days of work.

Slowly, Yuqi descended down the path to madness, overwhelmed by her responsibility and the citizens’ cries. Law after law she passed, futile attempts to cease public outrage. Soyeon heard her crying every night, cursing at spirits that never existed in the first place. The Yuqi she knew was long gone, replaced by the hollow shell of a woman in front of her.

The assassination attempts never stopped. As civil unrest grew, so did the need for a new Emperor. They called her useless, simply because she was a woman, and simply because she tried to care. _Being an Empress didn’t mean she was omnipotent,_ Soyeon wanted to scream, but she knew it was futile. She wanted to hold Yuqi in her arms forever, run away with her to a place that the mob would never reach her… but she couldn’t. Her Majesty would never allow it.

Soyeon now faced more responsibilities than she ever did before. As the Empress’ lady-in-waiting, there wasn’t a single item, food or drink that didn’t go through her. Sitting crumpled on the floor, nauseous due to the effects of the poison some idiot decided to put in Yuqi’s wine, she reflected harder on her choices than she had ever done before. Was it really worth it? Did she really have to watch the girl she loved suffer? Did she really have to drink literal poison for her?

It ached to think about, but it was the only way. The common folk were suffering, and so were they. _She had to end it._

“Your Majesty, the bath is ready,” Soyeon peeked into Yuqi’s room and found her sprawled over her table. Sighing, Soyeon walked over and shook her, to which Yuqi responded by grabbing a candle on her desk- “Oh. It’s you,” the Empress relaxed, putting the candle down. _Good call,_ Soyeon thought, _since you’re the only one who can hurt me… and I you._

Soyeon helped Yuqi out of her deep red nightgown and into the freshly drawn hot water, anointed with rose petals and fragrant oils. The Empress sighed, relaxing slightly compared to her previous tense demeanour. “Your Majesty, let me wash you,” Soyeon stood behind Yuqi, hands moving to untangle her hair.

“Thank you,” Yuqi closed her eyes as Soyeon massaged her scalp, sighing in relief at the sensation. For a split second, Soyeon was already regretting what she was about to do. Wouldn’t it be nice to rule this country, side by side? Caressing Yuqi’s face, she brought her in for one last kiss.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Yuqi smiled at her, as Soyeon tried to hide the fact that she was close to tears, “don’t cry, your tears are too precious to be wasted on someone like me.” So she noticed. Yuqi brought a thumb to the corner of Soyeon’s eyes, wiping away the tears that had welled up. “I know I haven’t been a good ruler… or a good friend. I’m sorry.” It was as if the madness melted away briefly, showing the Yuqi she always knew… but gods, she looked so tired. The tears came faster, as she eyed the dagger she had hidden away beside the tub earlier. _Ironic, wasn’t it?_

“I’m sorry, too,” Soyeon moved to embrace Yuqi, her right hand wrapping around her neck while her left reached down… “I love you.”

With one quick motion, Soyeon plunged the dagger into Yuqi’s heart. Pulling it out, the blood from the wound spilt out almost immediately, dyeing the clear water red. Yuqi gasped, her hands moving to her chest as she coughed, her mouth turning crimson. Turning towards Soyeon with pleading eyes, she could no longer form a sentence as the shock set in. As Yuqi died in front of her, Soyeon remembered. She remembered everything- from their past lives, to what was happening right now. Two lifetimes of information flooded her senses, as Yuqi lay motionless in the tub, no longer breathing.

Dropping the dagger, Soyeon stared down at her bloodied hands and the water which had already turned scarlet. She had just committed _regicide_ , for the gods’ sakes! Not only that, but it was her best friend that she killed, her only friend…

In some sick, twisted way, Soyeon did get the revenge she wanted. Little did she know, they were hence stuck in a continuous loop of killing each other. This would happen again and again, until the end of forever…

On the day of her execution, Soyeon was brought in front of a crowd for her crime. A crowd which wanted the cruel Empress dead, but couldn’t do it themselves- and now that she was dead, decided to turn on the one who was able to do it. A storm was brewing, how fitting. As the executioner sharpened his axe, Soyeon threw her head back and laughed. It was haunting, for she laughed at her own foolishness, out of lamentation for their cruel reality.

The axe came down.

Number of past lives: 2


	3. PRESENT DAY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> starting the story finally, enjoy i guess

“Song Yuqi! We’re going to be late!” Yuqi was forcefully woken up from her sleep by a girl jumping up and down on her bed.

“Shuhua… what… what time?”

“It’s 8 am, you idiot! You have five minutes before Mum drives off and leaves us behind!” Her younger sister ran out of her room, closing the door behind her. _Fuck me,_ Yuqi thought as she scrambled out of bed to get ready, putting her uniform on as quickly as possible. Rushing to the toilet, she brushed her teeth quickly, splashing some water on her face before grabbing her bag and running downstairs. She’d do her makeup in the car later.

_Man, that was one hell of a dream._

_What dream?_ Yuqi couldn’t remember. Shuhua was yelling at the top of her lungs to some random song on the radio, and she had the worst headache. “Can you quiet down a bit?” She asked, slightly annoyed. It felt like her head was about to split open.

“Oh. Sorry,” Shuhua glanced at her, “are you okay? You’re really pale.”

“It’s fine, I just need painkillers. My head is killing me.”

“Are you sure you should be going to school?” Shuhua asked again, concerned.

“I’m fine, it happens.” Yuqi waved a hand at her, leaning against her headrest.

The rest of the car ride went on in silence, a soft song playing over the radio while Yuqi tried to get some sleep and Shuhua texted someone on her phone.

“We’re here,” their mum stopped in front of their school, as Shuhua shook Yuqi awake, “you girls have a fun day!”

“We will!” Shuhua was bright as ever as they stepped out of the car, Yuqi waving groggily.

“There’s a new student at school today,” Shuhua told Yuqi excitedly, “Apparently, her family is insanely rich.”

“Oh.” Yuqi wasn’t really listening, still trying to wake herself up.

A girl with long, brown hair caught her eye. She carried herself with an air different from all the others like she knew way more than they did. _Strange,_ Yuqi thought as she watched the girl walk into the school building, _did she know this girl?_ There was a sense of familiarity to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what.

“Alright, see you, Yuqi,” Shuhua waved goodbye as they went their separate ways. Yuqi was a year older, so she was in the year above. Entering the classroom, she walked to her seat silently.

“Hey, Lucas,” her neighbour preferred to be called by his English name.

“Hey. You’re later than usual today,” Lucas didn’t look up from his phone, probably texting another one of his friends.

“Did you hear about the new girl?” Yuqi kept trying to make small talk, to which Lucas responded with “Hmm?”

“There’s this new girl. Not sure which class she’s in, but she’s from some rich family.”

“Yuqi, all of us are from rich families. You have to be specific.” Lucas rolled his eyes at her jokingly, chuckling a little as he put his phone away, “you can ask Miss yourself, what exactly the daughter of the Jeon family is doing here.”

“The Jeon family? I don’t get-”

“Stand up!” Their teacher came in through the door, plopping a large pile of homework on her desk. “Good morning, class.”

“Good morning, Miss Kim,” everyone droned in a monotone.

“Today, we have a new student who will be joining us,” Miss Kim announced, reading off a sheet of paper, “please give a warm welcome to Soyeon.”

“Hi everyone, I’m Soyeon! My subjects are Music, History, Korean and English,” she smiled, but something was wrong. Yuqi could feel her eyes boring into her soul. “I um… I make music in my spare time, and I like to sing sometimes. I hope we have a great year!”

“Soyeon, you can take the seat next to Somi,” Miss Kim sighed, “settle down, guys. I know you’re excited, but we have to start our lessons. My Korean students, I have some homework for you all…”

Yuqi groaned along with the rest of the class, ignoring Lucas’ playful grin next to her. _Lucky bastard who didn't take Korean._ “Stop smiling like that, you’re creeping me out,” she swatted her neighbour on the arm lightly, prompting a “yes Miss Song,” from him.

The bell rang. “Alright guys, that’s it for our first lesson,” Miss Kim announced, “I’ll see you all later today in Korean. Stand up! Goodbye, class.”

“Goodbye, and thank you, Miss Kim,” the class said in a monotone again. _Same old, same old._

“Hi! I’m Soyeon. Do you take History?” _The new girl. Fuck._ Yuqi wasn’t paying attention, so she blinked twice, before asking, “pardon?”

“I don’t know where the History classroom is,” Soyeon confessed, looking down at her shoes, “can you take me there? You know, if you take History?”

“Oh, sure,” Yuqi smiled at her. It wasn’t every day a pretty girl asked her for directions. “I have History too, so let’s walk there together.”

“So, what brings you here?” Yuqi asked as they tried to traverse through a crowd of other students.

“Oh, nothing much,” Soyeon said airily, “my mum wanted me to transfer, I guess. Didn’t get into trouble or anything. A little sad though, my old school was all girls.” _She was dropping hints, alright. Good, because Yuqi was smitten._

“Oh, why did she then?”

“No idea,” she shrugged, then looked over at Yuqi, “well, I do have high hopes for this place,” there it was again, that feeling like she was looking straight through her, “it just keeps getting better… and better.” Holding her books with one hand, Soyeon put her other hand on Yuqi’s arm, and she shivered at the touch.

“Our class is this way,” Yuqi managed to stutter out, “let’s go, before it’s too late.”

“Alright, class, today we’re wrapping up our chapter on Henry VIII. Open up your books to page 325, and take a look at the questions. I’ll be asking them later, so prepare your answers.”

Soyeon chuckled lightly from next to her, and Yuqi turned to look at her. “It’s nothing,” the other girl waved her off.

“Okay, guys, first question… how many wives did Henry VIII have?”

“Six,” Yuqi blurted out before her hand even reached its full height.

“And their names, Yuqi?”

“Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.”

“Great, now Anne Boleyn was executed for what crime?”

“A-”

“Someone who isn’t Yuqi, please,” the History teacher deadpanned, earning a few giggles across the room.

“She was accused of adultery, but that wasn’t true,” Soyeon raised her hand.

“Elaborate, Soyeon.” The teacher furrowed his brows at her, confused by the answer which deviated from the book.

“Well, it was just a lie Henry made up just to get her off his back,” Soyeon shrugged, “I don’t see why you don’t get it.”

“Um, well, interesting take. Next question…”

Yuqi glanced at her worriedly. That wasn’t what the book said, or even suggested. Would this girl really do fine here?

“Sir, I know I’m right, though?” Soyeon spoke up again, and Yuqi cringed. _Does this girl ever stop?_

“You could be,” said their teacher, trying to be patient with her, “but what we do in this class is we stick to the book.”

“Okay, then.” She rolled her eyes.

Fiddling with her pen, Yuqi just wanted the rest of the lesson to go on quickly. It wasn’t surprising for Soyeon to be struggling with the curriculum, seeing as she just transferred, but her ideas… those weren’t usually written about, and dismissed as mere conspiracy theories. There was something strange about this girl, and she couldn’t put her finger on what.

“What was that all about?” She asked Soyeon, “where did you hear about all this stuff?”

“Nowhere in particular,” Soyeon told her, smiling mysteriously. She seemed to be doing that a lot, lately. “Let’s just say the books are different from what _I_ know.”

“Um, anyway,” Yuqi started collecting her things, “our next class is Music, what instrument did you choose to play?"

“Oh, I play a bit of everything,” _Show off,_ Yuqi wanted to scoff at the other girl, “I picked the violin. That was always one of my favourites.”

“Cool. I play the clarinet.”

“Really? I play that too, I’m just not as good at it as I am on the violin.” Either this girl was a genius, or she just liked to brag for the sake of it. Yuqi found that slightly irritating, but still plastered a smile on her face just to be nice. “That’s… nice. We should get going.”

The rest of the day passed by in a flash, and as the last bell rang, Soyeon approached Yuqi again. “Hey, do you want to walk home together? I just moved here a few days ago, so I’m not really familiar with the neighbourhood.”

 _I guess that won’t hurt,_ Yuqi was being nice, and as Soyeon was new, it was her job as her classmate and class president to help her get used to it. “I’m fine with that. Lucas, you good with it?”

“Oh, you already have someone to walk home with?” Soyeon furrowed her brows. She didn’t see this coming.

“Oh, um, I have practice today.” Lucas told Yuqi, winking at her, “you guys have fun.”

“But what about-” Yuqi was about to say something, but her friend cut her off.

“There’s a discount at that ice cream place today, maybe you can show her where that is?” _Bastard,_ Yuqi wanted to laugh, _he’s setting me up with her._

Typing something on his phone, Lucas smirked at his friend, “alright, I should get going. The court doesn’t play itself.”

“Have fun, bitch,” Yuqi scoffed at him playfully.

“You too, dumbass,” Lucas ruffled her hair, earning a slap on the arm. He picked his bag up and bounded out the door, like a puppy.

“You two are close,” Soyeon said matter-of-factly, “are you…”

“No. I would rather die.” Yuqi laughed, “we’ve been friends since we were kids. My sister and I used to play with him all the time.”

“Oh. That’s nice,” Soyeon had that look on her face again like she was thinking about something long ago.

“Do you like ice cream?” _Might as well use it, since Lucas bailed on me._

“Yeah, I love ice cream.” Picking her bag up, Soyeon motioned for Yuqi to go with her, “Shall we?”

Her phone pinged. Checking her messages, she saw one from Lucas. _“Get some,”_ it read. Yuqi stifled a laugh, putting her phone back into her pocket. “Let’s go.”

“So, your family… Do you see them often?”

“Not really, I live alone,” Soyeon said nonchalantly like it was normal for a sixteen-year-old to do so. “My parents… They’re always at work, so I take care of myself.”

“That… that’s kinda sad,” Yuqi frowned, “don’t you get lonely?”

“You get used to it,” Soyeon sighed, “besides, I have a lot of… interests.” She paused, Yuqi noticing that her eyes flitted over her for a split second. “It’s better without them at home, anyway. I don’t like being disturbed when I work.”

“Ah, I’m the exact opposite. I can’t work alone.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. As annoying as Shuhua is, I like having her around whenever I do homework, and she doesn’t mind, so we just do it together.”

“Who’s Shuhua?” Soyeon had a slight edge in her voice, but Yuqi shrugged it off.

“My younger sister. She’s in the year below us.”

“I see,” Soyeon relaxed a bit after hearing that, then raised a brow, “you two don’t walk home together?”

“She doesn’t like to wait for me,” Yuqi laughed, “she says I always take too long to get everyone else out of the classroom. Besides, she has rehearsals all the time.”

“Drama club?”

“Yep. They’re doing Romeo and Juliet soon.”

“The play about the thirteen-year-old falling in love with a sixteen-year-old, then getting married in a week?” Soyeon’s face was contorted in disgust, “I hated that play.”

“It’s a forbidden love story,” Yuqi shrugged, “people will eat anything up.”

“Did you know, Shakespeare actually based that off two lesbian lovers?”

“You’re joking.” _Another one of her strange historical facts?_

“I’m not. Have you _read_ the story? It would make so much more sense if it was gay,” Soyeon kicked a pebble off the sidewalk and into the road, “forbidden lovers, getting married hastily, and out of sight… only to be married by an allied priest, who was friends with ‘Romeo’? Don’t you remember?”

“Huh?” Yuqi was confused by her last sentence.

“I mean, doesn’t that sound like a love story between two women? The fact that they killed themselves at the end, too. Absolutely tragic.” _So, she didn’t remember,_ Soyeon thought to herself. _Good, that’ll make this one easier._

“Huh. I never thought about it that way. It makes sense though, in the historical context.”

“I would assume Shakespeare wasn’t able to write about two girls, so he made it about two kids.” Soyeon winced in disgust, “the ending wasn’t far off from what actually happened, either.”

“What happened?”

“Well, some people say ‘Juliet’ survived. It goes the same, up until the point where ‘Romeo’ drinks poison and dies in the tomb. It’s rumoured that she went to Shakespeare and told him the story, after escaping from her hometown.”

Yuqi felt strange. Why did she have such a strong sense of deja vu? What came out of Soyeon’s mouth was supposed to be nothing but fiction, but some part of her resonated with it. “Tell me more,” she found herself becoming more curious, “what else do you know?”

“Hmm… I’ll tell you more later,” Soyeon winked at her, “is this it?”

“Welcome to Cho’s Ice Cream Parlor,” the girl at the counter greeted them, “Oh, hey Yuqi, isn’t Lucas with you today?”

“Miyeon, this is Soyeon,” Yuqi introduced the two of them to each other, “Lucas bailed on me because apparently, his balls are more important.” Soyeon snorted at her joke, looking away out of embarrassment.

“And what would you girls like?”

“I’ll have a lemon sorbet.”

“Hot fudge for you, Yuqi?” Miyeon punched in the numbers on the monitor.

“You know me so well,” Yuqi handed over the money, as Soyeon was about to protest, “my treat. Yours is free.”

“Let me at least split the cost of yours,” Soyeon huffed, “it’s not like I’m broke.”

“Yeah, I figured the daughter of the Jeon family wouldn’t be,” Yuqi snickered, “let me treat you, okay? You can treat me back later.”

 _Gullible, and too nice for her own good,_ Yuqi couldn’t see Soyeon’s wicked smile as she collected their orders. _This is going to be a piece of cake._

“Tell me more about your family,” Yuqi took a spoonful of her ice cream, putting it into her mouth.

“Are you only trying to be friends with me because of that?” Soyeon laughed, then saw Yuqi’s expression, “I’m joking. They work in the music industry, so I’ve been surrounded by music all my life. I’ve even met some of the artists under their label before. Do you know Seo Soojin?”

“No way. Shuhua is like, _obsessed_ with her.” Yuqi’s eyes went wide, as she recalled whenever Soojin appeared on television.

“She’s different in real life than how she presents on stage,” Soyeon shrugged, “she’s actually really shy. You know what? I can try and get her to come here for a performance, and give your sister VIP tickets.”

“You really don’t have to.” Yuqi shook her head, “it’s better for her not to meet her idol.”

“Ah, I see. My offer still stands, though.” Soyeon winked at her, taking another bite of her ice cream. “How about your family, then?”

“Well, Shuhua and I live with our mum. Dad’s out of the country all the time, so it’s just the three of us.”

“I see,” Soyeon frowned, “do you miss him?”

“Not really. I got used to him not being around,” Yuqi shrugged, “it’s okay, really.” She reached out a hand to hold Soyeon’s from across the table unconsciously, as if she had done this many times before.

“Um. I appreciate the gesture, but…” Soyeon looked down at Yuqi’s hand on top of hers, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Sorry,” Yuqi moved to pull her hand away, but Soyeon had different ideas. Grabbing her wrist, she brought her hand back, intertwining their fingers. “Tell me, Song Yuqi, are you usually this direct on the first meeting?” She was smirking. It was obvious that she was enjoying this, and Yuqi didn’t know how to respond. Sitting in the middle of Cho’s, looking at each other like this was embarrassing, but she liked it.

“That was some good ice cream,” Soyeon mused, as she walked next to Yuqi, their arms intertwined. They warmed up to each other quickly, much to Yuqi’s delight.

“They’re the best in the city,” Yuqi grinned, “Miyeon, she graduated from our school a few years back, and she wants to become a professional… dessert person,” she couldn’t remember the word.

“A pâtissière?” Soyeon asked. _She’s adorable._

“Yeah, something like that,” Yuqi shrugged, “you speak French?”

“I’m barely conversational. Besides, it’s been a while since I last spoke the language.”

“That’s really impressive. How’d you get all the time to learn this stuff?” Yuqi was genuinely curious, but what she didn’t know was that she was treading into some dangerous territory. _This one was smart,_ Soyeon thought as she tried to spin up a lie. “Well, when you’re bored, you have all the time in the world.”

“That’s insane. When I’m bored, I play mobile games.” _Well, at least the lie worked._

“I had to learn a lot to keep up with being the heir of my parents’ business,” Soyeon sighed, “it must be nice to not have that responsibility.”

“Oh,” Yuqi fell silent, “Sorry, I forgot.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Soyeon sighed. “So, do you usually take this route home?”

“Well, yeah. Cho’s is on the way, so it should be the same route. Where do you live, again?”

“Down Sixth, you know the apartment complex there?”

“Oh, that’s actually near where I live!” Yuqi was surprised, “I was worried you lived somewhere really far away.”

“Even if I did, I’d gladly take a detour so I can walk with you,” Soyeon winked, much to Yuqi’s surprise. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m just joking.”

Yuqi laughed, nuzzling closer to Soyeon, “that’s very sweet, though. Do you flirt with every girl you come across like this?” She tried to mimic Soyeon’s tone back in the ice cream parlour.

“So what if I do?”

“Oh, so you’re a player,” Yuqi smirked, “I like that.”

They turned a corner onto Sixth Street, footsteps falling in time. Admittedly, Yuqi was a fast walker, and Soyeon struggled to keep up, but they made it work.

“Here’s where I live,” Yuqi stopped in front of a two-storey house, almost as old as the rest, “are you okay walking back to your place by yourself?”

“I’m good from here. Thank you for walking back with me.”

“It was nothing! I had fun today. See you tomorrow!”

“See you,” Soyeon waved as Yuqi went back into her home, waiting until she was out of sight before briskly walking away. Making sure she was out of earshot from anyone in the vicinity, she pulled her phone out and dialled a number.

“Did you mark the route down?”

“Yes, boss,” came the crackled voice through the other end, “waiting for your orders.”

**Author's Note:**

> quicker updates will be on my twitter @orbitlands come hmu !!


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